Welcome to Bluff

Bluff – Pearl of the South – Home of the world famous Bluff Oyster, and the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in New Zealand!

Bluff is located at the very south of the South Island, New Zealand, in the province of Southland and is the ‘Gateway to Stewart Island’.

Stirling Point, with it’s famous signpost and walking tracks, is the beginning of State Highway 1 which traverses the length of the country to Cape Reinga in the far north – the journey really does begin here in Bluff!

Our busy and historic port still boasts the timber wharf on which construction began back in 1863 – as the closest port to Australia, Bluff was a very important early New Zealand port, with many thousands of immigrants from the UK and elsewhere making their first landfall on this wharf. Bluff is still a very important port, with regular container and bulk freight services taking Southland’s produce to the world.

The Bluff Maritime Museum is a “must visit” for anyone travelling along the Southern Scenic Route, with fascinating historical information about the many early shipwrecks in these challenging southern waters and coastlines. You will be able to visit many of these sites as you make your way along the Catlins Coast towards Dunedin.

There are panoramic views from the viewing platform on top of Bluff Hill (Motupohue), and a network of walking tracks is a nature lover’s delight, with abundant native birdlife and flora, much of which is rare except on island wildlife sanctuaries.

EVENTS

There are a number of famous and popular events held in Bluff over the span of a year, including;